IS BANDAGE BACK? HOUSE OF CB’S BANDAGE DRESS REVIVAL
BY ABBY JOYNER ILLUSTRATION BY CARLY HART
This past week, House of CB announced the return of their party-girl classic 2010 bandage dress, but is the bandage dress really theirs to claim?
On Tuesday, Jun. 3, House of CB relaunched the bandage dresses that were initially successful 15 years ago. This marked a shift in the UK-based fashion company’s style from soft, milkmaid-esque prairie dresses back to their sexy, party-girl roots. The company determinedly announced this rebrand in their new campaign: “Bandage is Back.” However, this revival has not arisen without controversy from the fashion community.
Skin-tight bandage dresses and sky-high stilettos were the staple of every party girl at nightclubs during the 2000s. High-profile celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, as well as high-fashion models like Irina Shayk and Miranda Kerr wore Herve Leger bandage dresses to red carpets and exclusive night clubs. These mini dresses were wound with stretchy strips of fabric and looked similar to bandage wrap, hence their name. They were basically the uniform for Victoria’s Secret angels on their way to afterparties.
A quick history of this bombshell-approved dress:
The bandage dress was worn more than a decade before House of CB debuted their rendition of the curve-hugging garment.
First, credit is due to French-Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaïa, who first debuted elements of the bandage dress on the runway throughout the 1980s—testing the female-silhouette-enhancing cuts, stretchy fabrics, and bandaging concept. However, Alaïa’s designs were never labeled as a “bandage” at the time, according to Edwin Vonholy.
In the late ‘90s, up-and-coming designer Hervé Leroux — under the label Hervé Léger — began developing the bandaging technique. However, this was found in ‘60s-inspired pastel, belted midi skirts and other, looser garments. It was not until around 1998 when Léger went full bodycon with the dresses, according to Glamour. Cindy Crawford is photographed in an ultra-mini LBBD (little black bandage dress) and elbow-length, fur-trimmed black gloves at a Vogue anniversary party. A New York Times runway review summed up Legér’s designs nicely: “elastic strips of fabric sewn together to make girdle-tight dresses.”
As the 2000s crept up and party-girl culture exploded, so did this style of dress. Bandage dresses went mainstream, and it was not possible for every girl to buy a designer mini dress for their nights at the club — a Léger would run you thousands of dollars. Enter House of CB: an affordable alternative to the finely tailored couture of Léger.
Since House of CB’s relaunch, internet users have been sharing their polarized opinions. Many expressed their excitement at the switch from the British brand’s flowy, romantic pale pink and white silhouettes to waist-cinching and boob-lifting hot pink ones. One user shared in an Instagram comment: “FINALLY! We were tired of the Little House on the Prairie vibes.”
Others voiced their critiques. First, the quality of the material; “The OG - pink icing mini bandage dress,” priced at $209, is made of 88% polyamide, a synthetic plastic fabric. An Instagram user commented, “These cheap ass looking dresses PUHLEASE don’t bring them back.”
The second, and much bigger complaint from the online fashion community, is the fact that House of CB are seemingly claiming they invented and proliferated the bandage dress. This discredits the rich runway history that began with Hervé Léger and Alaïa.
On X, users shared their knowledge of fashion history to remind House of CB of their makers. User @dolls4prada posted, “A little late but let’s get into the history so the kids won’t forget! A thread on the bandage dress;” then chronologically detailed the dress’s history through a series of photographs and text.
Who’s to say if bandage is truly back. In an era of constant nostalgia farming and lack of originality, this revival makes sense. There is no denying these House of CB dresses replicate the sexy sensations of bygone party girls, but many question the necessity of regurgitating less than 20-year-old styles instead of exploring the potential for unique reimaginings of the bandage dress.
